Ten Things
by Lanerose
Summary: Heero and Relena - separated by an incident in their own past, kept apart by a secret in his. Will they ever find love? 1xR, with lots of Duo fun-ness. On Hiatus Semi-Permanently.
1. The Way You Talk To Me

****

Ten Things

__

Chapter 1 – The Way You Talk To Me

By: Eternal Rose

The shuttle speeded swiftly towards its destination, rapidly descending through the clouds towards planet Earth. Its destination was the Sanq Kingdom. Most of the people on board the plane were happily chatting about their plans for vacations or work while in the Sanq Kingdom. However, there were a few notable exceptions…

"C'mon man, you know you wanna tell her! You know you do!" Said a man with a long braid running down his back. "I see it every time you're around her. And I'll tell you what, buddy – I'm not the only one. You're head over heels for her!"

"I'm afraid that I must agree with the baka." An Asian man across the aisle from the first remarked.

"Ah yes, justice in the world at last!" The braided man cried cheerfully. "I am the champion!"

"No." The second man replied. "I'm merely agreeing with you in this instance. You lack the requisite honor to be a champion."

"Hey!" The first said, offended. "You're questioning my honor? Listen, Wu-man, I may run. I may hide. But I Never tell a lie. Honesty is *the* requirement for honor. After all, don't all those officials at ESUN have to make that stupid speech… You know the one, "On my honor, I will try – "

"Actually, I think the Galaxy Scouts are the ones who recite that speech." Recalled a blond seated in front of the Asian man, also on the aisle. "They say it when they join the group, and then every time they move up a level."

"How do you know that?" Asked the braided one. "I could be right about this. In fact, I definitely think I could be right. Isn't it possible that you could be wrong?" 

"Duo," said a man with large bangs, seated next to the Asian man, "Quatre has 29 sisters. If anyone knows the Galaxy Scout Promise, it'd be him."

"Trowa's right, Duo." Quatre replied with a laugh. "I could probably recite the entire thing from memory at this point. I must say, it really isn't all that difficult to recall. The ESUN has an equally idealistic view of itself, at least in its oath of office. In a lot of ways, that makes me really happy."

"Why?" Duo queried. "I mean, its not like they actually care through on any of their promises. Sometimes I really think they just do that oath of office thing as an excuse to get some good press, a moment in the spotlight, and a chance to hear themselves talk for a ridiculously long amount of time."

Wufei ("Wu-man") looked as though he were tempted to agree, but restrained himself in light of the fact that doing so would give Duo two points in one shuttle ride. He wisely chose to remain silent… It was a proven fact that Duo would never shut up if you gave him the chance to be right. Instead, it was the previously silent man seated next to Duo who spoke.

"You really aren't one to talk." The man stated evenly. His Prussian blue eyes flashed with the tiniest hint of amusement. Quatre laughed openly, and Wufei and Trowa each smirked slightly. Slightly flustered, Duo returned his attention to the man he had earlier been teasing. After all, one good jest just begs for another.

"Neither are you." Duo said. "I think that's the first time you've spoken so far this entire trip. Were you planning on just sitting there or something? Tell me, has the view from that window been very interesting? I can't say where your head's moved away from it even for a second."

"Duo." The word had a dangerous calm surrounding it, accompanied by an equally dangerous glance. Characteristically, Duo ignored both and resumed speaking in a loud, rapid voice.

"It's all right, Heero. Don't worry – we won't tell Relena that you were so busy thinking about her you wouldn't even talk to us. After all, I'm sure she wouldn't be interested in a little detail like that. Not like she cares for you or anything. It's not like the rest of us didn't want the pleasure of your usually riveting conversations, but hey – don't listen to me man, I'm – "

Two words. Gun. Silence.

"Well," Quatre said, breaking the quiet that had stretched so long it threatened all of their sanity. Heero slowly lowered his gun and turned to face Quatre. "It certainly was very kind of Miss Relena to invite us to visit her. We really haven't seen enough of her since –"

"Since the incident?" Trowa filled in when Quatre broke off. The incident had occurred several months ago. It was something that none of them ever dared to speak about – ever. Especially not while in the presence of either Heero or Duo. The tension created by even the vaguest reference to it was beyond compare.

"You guys, look. If we're going to be spending time with Miss Relena, this is bound to come up at some point." Quatre finally continued. Heero and the now sober faced Duo remained silent. "I really think it would help if we all just sat down together and talked about what went on that day."

"Sure, whatever you say, Quatre." Duo said quietly. Then his cheerful nature seemed to snap magically back into place, and he practically bounced as he smiled at them all. "Looks like we're beginning our final descent! Watch out, Sanq Kingdom – the God of Death returns at last!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The lovely pink limousine rolled to a graceful halt in front of an elegant white manor. Apparently being former Queen of the World had some perks, a beautiful estate among them. The doors of the car opened and the five pilots stood quickly. As if on cue, the front door of the manor exploded open towards them.

"Hello!" Relena called cheerfully. "How are all of you? Oh, it is so very good to have you all here again."

"Yep, you know you love us." Duo replied. He picked Relena up and swung her in a little circle. "How are you doing? Is partically ruling the planet all that its cracked up to be?"

"You never change, Duo." She said, giving him a quick hug. Quatre came forward then to embrace her, Relena speaking as he did so. "Quatre! How are you? How is everyone in your family? Your sisters?"

"Wonderful, Miss Relena." He replied joyously. "Thank you so very much for inviting us to join you. This place is beautiful. Earth is always beautiful in the springtime, but especially so in Sanq Kingdom. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you." Relena laughed softly. "And how many times must I tell you that simply calling me Relena would be fine? Really, I would prefer it if you would speak more informally. Wufei, Trowa! It's good to see you again as well."

She turned slightly after greeting these last two, having released Quatre. Relena suddenly found herself face to face with the ever elusive Heero. Her face lit up like a child on Christmas morning as she moved quickly towards him, stopping just shy of his actual location.

"Heero…" She said softly. A quiet smile filled her face. Heero slowly raised his face so that his eyes were staring deeply into hers. His unfathomable Prussian blue eyes gazed into her crystallic pools of light, simply observing her in this manner for several moments. It seemed to the others that thousands of words were exchanged, without either one of them ever saying anything. Then, quickly, Heero looked away.

"Relena." He acknowledged her verbally with a single, calm word. To excuse himself from her company, Heero moved swiftly to the trunk of the car and began to help Pagan gather the bags that he and the others had brought with them. Anything to avoid the thoughts that came to him when he was looking at her.

Having grown accustomed to such behavior from Heero, Relena turned once more to her other four visitors. The months they had spent away from her had done them all some good, she felt. Avoiding any interaction that would have forced them to talk about the incident had, she decided, in some ways strengthened their relationships. It was a pleasure to be around them once more after so long a drought from their company.

"So," Relena began, "I hope you're all ready to have a good time. I have planned some rather enjoyable outings for all of us, if none of you wish to object. Naturally, you may each do whatever you prefer to do – it is, after all, your vacation time. However, I would appreciate it if we all spent some time together."

"Of course we will Relena!" Duo replied. He couldn't help but notice the way she glanced nervously towards Heero as she had spoken. Duo, for his part, couldn't believe her reaction to Heero's continued resistance to speaking to her. She was taking it rather well, he felt. Silently, he began to plan ways to get the two of them together… alone – so that they would be forced to speak. Naturally, he said none of this, merely began to smile cheerfully and joke with all of them.

Whether or not the trip would go well hadn't been decided yet, but all of them seemed to tacitly agree. This trip may be fun, but sooner or later, they would have to discuss the incident. Universally, they didn't want to, but recognized the necessity that would soon overwhelm them.

However, for the moment, each pilot was glad simply to move into his room in Relena's estate and peacefully unpack.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

OK, so this is definitely a departure for me from my usual style of writing. I'm not sure how this is gonna work out, so you all are going to need to be patient with me and here me out. *lol* I've never actually written a purely GW story yet, so we'll have to see, too.

Announcing a competition! Just because I want to keep myself amused, I've decided to offer the person who earns the most points in this competition either a story dedication or a write in. Points can be gained in the following ways: Reviewing – 1 Review = 2 points and Answering my Random Question of the Day / Story.

The Random Question for Ten Things is – What was the inspiration for this story? I'll give you all a hint – the chapter titles, and the title itself, are very significant.

The Random Question of the Day is – In what anime will you find the Universe of the Four Gods? Sorry, no hints here!

That's it for now!! All my love, 

~Rose


	2. The Way You Cut Your Hair

****

Ten Things

__

Chapter 2 – The Way You Cut Your Hair 

Alternate Title: In Which Duo Talks to a Closed Door

By: Eternal Rose

"Heero." Duo said, knocking loudly on the closed door that stood before him. It was the door to Heero's room at the Sanq Palace. Getting no response, Duo again rapped upon the piece of wood. "Come on man, you can't just hide in there forever!"

A non-committal grunt responded, and the door remained firmly shut.

"Heero! Just because you'll have to be around Relena again when you finally come out doesn't mean that you should spend your entire vacation locked in your room. What's so fascinating in there, your laptop? Seriously, Heero, you can work on that idiotic thing any old time. Now, it's time to finally have a little fun." Duo stood patiently, glaring at the door so much so that he was practically willing it open.

No response.

"This is getting really annoying, man! I've been waiting out here for a while now. You'll have to come out eventually. Even you need to eat every now and then, Mr. Perfect Soldier. All right, granted, you could probably go a few days without anything, but you and I both know that it wouldn't be any good for you to do that."

Silence.

"If you don't open this door, man, I'm gonna break it down. Now listen, you don't really want to have to get a new door, do you? I'm sure it would take a few days – and you know you wouldn't get any privacy at all until the new one was up. Who knows? Relena might not even get a new one until after we leave – just to teach you not to lock us all out."

Once more, no sound leaked out of the room.

"Heero, this is so childish. Look, I know you're upset at Relena still – and don't you try and deny it, you know it as well as I do! You're going to have to face her some time, though. Now look, be a good soldier and come out of that room. I'm ordering you to take a break and have some fun for once!" Duo flicked his braid irritably over his shoulder, paced for a moment, and then resumed his staring contest with the door. He could just picture Heero Yuy standing on the other side, glaring at it. Any moment now, Heero would crack and through the door open to point his gun at him. Then, Duo would have him! He tapped his foot in mild impatience as the seconds dragged on, and eventually grew into minutes.

"What?" Duo finally asked, offended. "I hope you don't think I'm just going to go away. Buddy, you know me better than to ever believe that might happen. I'm like one of those old battery commercials – the one with the bunny that keeps going and going and going and – well, you get the idea. The God of Death does not quit! I will be victorious over you and your wall of silence."

Still no answer.

"Heeeee-rrrooooooo." He whined. "C'mon, do you have any idea how boring it is to talk to a door? You're much more interesting than it. If you're not gonna come out, than just open the door and let me in so I can watch your reaction for a few minutes, you can threaten to kill me, I can make some witty remark and then leave, and everything can go back to the way it was."

The door looked forbiddingly down at Duo.

"Listen, if you don't come out of there, then I'm going to tell all of the others what you said to me after the incident. Seriously, there are times when I think that if you had just told Relena when the whole thing happened, you could have worked everything out. But no, you just had to continue on silently, never wavering from your cruel look of indifference." Duo paused for a breath. "See what you made me do? That actually sounded intelligent."

It must have been a figment of his imagination, but Duo could have sworn he heard the sound of crickets chirping.

"Heero!" He yelled, kicking the door, although not kicking it hard enough to break it down – yet.

"What's wrong, Duo?" Quatre asked, walking towards his fellow pilot. "Is something the matter with Heero?"

"You better believe it." Duo replied. "I've been trying to get him to come out of there for over twenty minutes!"

"Really? Quatre looked astonished. "I'm sure there's a good reason. Are you sure he's in there? He might actually just be asleep, it was quite a long flight here from the colonies."

"Quatre, buddy, I know he's in there, and that he's awake." Duo replied. "He answered me with one of those noises that in Heero – talk means, leave me alone. Besides, when have you ever known Heero to sleep through anything without being heavily sedated – surgery and bone settings included."

Quatre laughed. "I must admit, you've got me there. I wonder why he doesn't want to come out for a little while. May I?"

"Be my guest." Duo said, gesturing gallantly towards the door. Quatre stepped closer to it in a calm manner, and knocked gently upon the door.

"Heero?" He called through the door. "I know you're in there, Heero. Duo told me. Are you sure you don't want to come with the rest of us for a picnic in the park? Miss Relena has gone to some trouble to prepare a special lunch, and it looks – "

Quatre abruptly cut himself off as he noticed Duo drawing a frantic line across his throat. Duo then pantomimed something that Quatre caught, and his blue eyes went big as saucers. Quatre had momentarily forgotten all about the incident, but it suddenly came rushing back at him and he shook his head.

"Would you please come talk to us, Heero?" Quatre asked.

"Ne, Heero, we've got a mission!" Duo said loudly. "You don't really want to miss one of those, do you? It must have been at least, what, three months since the last time you almost self – detonated or almost died."

"Duo!" Quatre exclaimed.

"What, it's true!" Duo replied. Suddenly, a mischievous twinkle lit up Duo's eyes. "Heero, if you don't come out of there in the next twenty seconds, then I'm going to tell Quatre all about you know what."

Silence reigned for several seconds.

"Fine buddy, if that's the way you want it!" Duo leaned over towards Quatre and began to speak softly into his ear. "Listen, I want you to count backwards from five, then gasp and say, 'Really? I never would have guessed.' Trust me, he'll be out here in a flash."

"Really? I never would have imagined!" Quatre gasped on cue. The door still remained completely immobile. Quatre leaned over to Duo after a couple of seconds and whispered to him, "I don't think this is working. Besides, is it really fair to him to pretend that you've told a secret he's obviously protecting?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?" Duo asked.

"It just feels… dishonest, I suppose." Quatre replied.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Said Duo. "Listen, you know the drill – I may run and I may hide, but I never tell a lie."

Duo and Quatre continued to argue for several moments as two others stood and watched them.

"Do you think we should tell them?" Wufei asked Trowa. The uni-banged wonder looked back at him and gave a barely perceptible shrug of his shoulders.

"Either way would work. I can't help but think that it will be funny when they finally find out." A small, tiny, minific smirk appeared upon his face.

"Yes." Wufei snorted slightly. "Besides, watching Maxwell make an idiot out of himself is always entertaining. And naturally, it wouldn't be fair to deprive him of a chance to see this for himself."

"What's going on?" A third person joined Wufei and Trowa.

"Duo and Quatre are convinced that Heero has locked himself inside his room and won't come out unless they can talk him into it." Wufei replied. The newcomer looked ever so slightly amused.

"Should I?" He asked.

"Yes." The other two replied.

"Duo, listen to me, I wasn't trying to call you a liar, I merely meant that I didn't feel it was right to pretend to do such a thing to him. Anyway, why are we arguing? Shouldn't we be working on getting him out of there?" Quatre asked.

"Excuse me." Said the latest arrival as he walked up to Quatre and Duo. "Is there a reason why you're standing in front of my door?"

"Heero!" Both of them looked at him and began to stutter incoherently. Heero raised an eyebrow slightly at the two as he opened his door, walked inside, and shut it firmly behind him.

"I thought you said –" "Well I thought that – " "You mean he wasn't even – " Both Quatre and Duo kept trying to talk over one another, increasing their confusion exponentially. Trowa smiled and Wufei laughed out loud at the sight of them.

"Well that was a waste of a morning." Duo finally managed to get out. "Awww man, now he really IS locked in there! I wonder where he was… something seemed different. And I don't just mean the whole thing where he talked, I mean something's really different!"

Duo's eyes lit up as he again began to knock relentlessly on the door. "Hey Heero, if you wanted to get a haircut you really should have just told us!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Well that was exciting. ^_^ I finally finished it! All right, now it's time for a brief shout out section!

CJ – 17 points!

Lady oasis, lady psycho, and lady darkness – 12 points!

Cheryl (My Beta Reader) – 2 points!

Dark Balla – 2 points!

New Random Question: (from my Physics homework, no less ^^;;;) One paint bucket weighing 40 N is hanging by a massless cord from another paint bucket also weighing 40 N. The two are being pulled upward with an acceleration of 1.5 m/s^2 by a massless cord attached to the upper bucket. Calculate the tension in each cord.

I'm hoping to finish the next chapter soon, but with college applications to fill out, who knows when I'll have the time??? However, I'll try!

That's all for now!

~* Hugs and Kisses (Hershey's, of course!) *~

~Rose


	3. The Way You Drive My Car

Ten Things

Chapter 3 – The Way You Drive My Car

Alternative Title – Adventures in a Pink Limousine

By: Eternal Rose 

            Quatre and Duo continued to pound on Heero's door until, at length, the door was thrown open.  Duo immediately found himself staring down the barrel of Heero's gun.  The highly predictable and extremely commonplace event helped all of them to relax.  Even in situations of personal stress, Heero Yuy never seemed to alter…  After all, he had only threatened to shoot Duo, not actually carried through with it.

            "Heero?"  said Quatre, patently ignoring the weapon pointed at his braided friend.  "Do you want to go to the park with us for a picnic?"

            "Sure."  Heero replied in his usual, calm, monotonous voice. The gun immediately vanished into spandex space.  Before Heero could change his mind and vanish back into the laptop, Duo walked around behind him leaned against the doorway.  From there, even if Heero did try and get back into the room, Quatre and the others would manage to subdue him, Duo was certain!

            "That's great!"  Quatre exclaimed warmly.  The three began to walk swiftly down the corridor, down the stairs, and into the main hallway.  "Just wait here a moment – I'll go and get the others."

            "Hn."  Heero answered.  The blue eyed pilot walked over to the wall, leaning casually against it.  Duo, not to be distracted, followed him across the room.

            "So…"  he started.  "When are you going to tell her?"

            "What?"

            "That you love her."  Duo saw Heero start to reach for his gun again, and immediately grabbed his wrist.  With remarkable dexterity, Heero rotated his own hand and flipped the other pilot onto his back.

            "I don't really see what business it is of yours."  Heero remarked dryly.  "What happens between myself and Relena is none of your concern."

            "Hah!  You admitted it!"  Duo rejoiced, springing back to his feet.  "That's twice now!  So what are you going to do, keep denying it?  You're the one who's always saying to live life according to your emotions.  Why don't you take your own advice?"

            Heero's gun made an immediate reappearance.  BANG!  A single report echoed through the room.  Duo remained motionless, unflinching in the face of what had and would for others mean instant death – a bullet from the gun of the famed assassin Heero Yuy.

            "What was that?"  Relena exclaimed, rushing into the room.  The gun immediately disappeared again, and Heero began to glare at Duo with such intensity that the braided one could literally feel the heat pouring from his friend's eyes.

            "Nothing."  Duo remarked.  Relena looked skeptically back and forth between the two of them.  Heero schooled his eyes away from hers, his expression bland as ever.

            "If you say so."  Relena replied.  She turned to head back to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "I'll just go and get the luncheon from the kitchen.  Pagan had to go to the office for me to retrieve some papers I'd forgotten, so I'm afraid you'll have to deal with me driving for the day."

            She had vanished from the room before either of them could protest. Heero and Duo exchanged glances quickly, each plainly reading a desire to avoid this situation at all costs.  Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei entered the room one by one as their comrades continued to stand quietly in the hall.  Quatre immediately shot a questioning glance at Duo, who slightly shook his head in response.  Heero, of course, missed nothing – and was reaching for his gun just as Relena returned.

            "Ready?"  She asked cheerfully, a large basket resting upon her arm.

            "Let me carry that onna."  Wufei said immediately, stepping forward to take the bundle from her.  Women were weaker than men – it was unjust for her to be forced to carry the basket while the men had nothing.  However, Relena mistook the direction from which he was coming… and wound up dumping everything into Heero's arms.

            "Well, let's go!"  Relena exclaimed, and promptly began leading the way to the limo.  Her car keys jangled in her hand as she smiling unlocked the front door.  The pilots, being naturally intelligent, all immediately dove for the back seat.  Heero deposited all of their lunch supplies in the trunk, and moved around to the side of car, pulling up on the handle of the door.

            "Hn."  He remarked.  The door wasn't opening.  The window opened painfully slowly, and Duo's head appeared before him.

            "It isn't fair to force Miss Relena to sit all alone in the front of the car."  Quatre called from the other side of the vehicle.  "So we decided that the last person to the car ought to sit with her.  I'm sorry, Heero."

            "Besides,"  Duo said, "it's definitely safer if you're sitting next to her.  Anyway, haven't you just been longing for some alone time with her?"

            The glare on Heero's face began to deepen, and the window magically sped up to the top quickly.  It went so fast that no one doubted the reason for it's rise.  After all, being on the opposite side of bullet proof glass from an angry 01 was always a good idea.

            With tremendous reluctance, Heero moved to the front door of the car and opened it.  Face impassive, he seated himself next to Relena in the front of the shockingly pink car, bracing himself for a wild ride…

~* 1 Hour Later *~

            "Really Heero, I was doing fine all by myself!  I didn't need your help."  Relena glared at him, her eyes flashing with a fierce determination that was rarely forced to make its presence known.

            "I wasn't aware that it was legal to turn left on a red light in the Sanq Kingdom."  Heero said dryly.  Relena fumed, grabbing things from the trunk and throwing them at the other pilots to carry and set up.  The trip had been, needless to say, more than a little eventful.  In addition to making a left on red, Relena had run three stop signs, swerved to avoid colliding with a cat in the middle of the road, and nearly taken the door off of a parked car.

            "You didn't need to grab the wheel!"  She yelled.  "I'm a big girl, Heero Yuy, and I have had a great deal of experience driving.  I know what I'm doing."

            "So you meant to take out that mailbox?"

            "Heeeerrrrrrrooooooo!!!!!!"  Her trademark whine had never failed her, and it wasn't about to start now.  The pilot in question walked quickly after the others to help unpack the lunch, thus avoiding any further conflict with the blonde.

            "I suddenly understand why Pagan is always there to drive Miss Relena around."  Quatre remarked quietly to Trowa.  They had all been thrown about for the entire ride, all praying that Heero would somehow maintain control of the car – for they were quickly certain that Relena couldn't.  Trowa nodded sagely.

            "Maxwell, remind me again why we allowed that onna to drive in the first place?"  Wufei said to Duo.

            "Because!"  Duo said.  "Look, if we keep forcing Heero and Relena together than maybe one of these times they'll actually work things out.  All right, so letting her drive probably wasn't the greatest idea that I've ever had, but what can I say – I'm a little tight on new ideas.  It took forever for Relena to get her courage up to act – and then after the incident, even I doubted that they might be right for each other.  But I know this – we've gotta get them together, no matter what!  It wouldn't be just of us to leave them to their own devices.  I mean, think about it.  Heero still is terrible about this whole thing, and he's had years to work on it!  They need us, and – Oh, Hi Heero!  Have fun?"

            Heero had come upon them swiftly, and was now glaring as hard as humanly possible at Duo.  He sat down gracefully on the picnic blanket, never erring from his unwavering look of anger at Duo.  Duo suddenly became mildly afraid.  He had been pressing his luck with Heero all day, and pushing it further probably wouldn't help, but – something needed to be done!

            "Relena!"  Duo called, as she headed quickly towards them.  He slid slightly to his left, opening a space between himself and Heero.  "Why don't you come and sit here for now?"

            "My apologies Duo, but I do not believe that would be the best of ideas at the moment, as Heero and I seem to have different opinions about my driving abilities, among other things."  She responded after considering it a moment.  Relena looked about the circle quickly, but found that the other pilots had all somehow shifted into a tight pattern, leaving only the one space between Heero and Duo.  With a sigh, she seated herself in the middle.

            "So…"  said Duo after a moment of strained silence.  "What's for lunch?"

~* Several Hours Later *~

            "Injustice!"  Wufei exclaimed as he climbed dizzily from the back seat of the pink limousine.  "Injustice!"

            "Did he really repeat that, or did I just think he did because my head is still spinning?"  Duo remarked dazedly.  "Ugh.  I can't feel my stomach.  I think it got lost somewhere around that last curve."

            "I agree."  Quatre replied.  Trowa, true to form, said nothing – but even he looked a little green around the edged.  As horrific as the trip to the park had been, the return had been almost worse.  Relena had blatantly refused to allow Heero to help her drive, and…  well…  Conflict in the front seat did not make for safe turns.

            "Are there any driving schools around here, you think?"  Quatre continued.  "I would be more than happy to supply the cost for the necessary lessons."

            "Seriously, Q-man."  Duo sat on the steps with a thump.  "That definitely just spoiled a really spectacular meal."

            "Injustice.  I will take my revenge on the weaklings.  Injustice."

            Heero walked from the car to the pilots, looking at all of them in mild disdain.  He seemed to think about saying something, but then thought better of it.  From the passenger side of the car, a voice called after him.

            "Heero Yuy, I demand that you release me from this seat this instant!"  Relena's voice soared with anger.  The seatbelt had been wrapped about her body, effectively tying her hands to her sides and preventing her from getting free.  "How dare you do this to me?  To my car?"

            "Do you think they have a two for one discount at that driving school?"  Duo asked, goggling openly at where Relena was seated.

            "I wouldn't know."  Quatre answered simply.  "I wouldn't know."

~* End Chapter 3 *~

AN:  Well then, not much to say this time 'round.  *lol*  I actually did all of this with a study hall, aren't you proud of me?  (Homework??  Why would I do a crazy thing like that?)  Anyways, I'm about to go start another chapter – I'm still in study hall – so I'll have to leave you all hanging.

~* hugs *~

~Rose


	4. The Way You Stare

Ten Things

_Chapter 4 – The Way You Stare_

_Alternate Title – In Which Things Get Romantic_

By: Eternal Rose

           "Ne, whatcha doing Heero?"  Duo asked, wandering into one of the mansion's many libraries to see that Heero was seated – surprise surprise – with his laptop up and running.  Duo moved around to Heero's side of the desk, and leaned forward to read over Heero's shoulder.  The laptop snapped shut and Heero's gun appeared in front of his face.

           "What do you want, Duo?"  The Prussian – eyed pilot asked, a touch of impatience in his voice.  His point made, the gun floated slowly down to his side.

           "Relax buddy, I was just wondering what you were up to.  After the whole picnic thing, you kinda vanished on us."  Duo flipped his braid forwards over his shoulder and began to play with the tail end of it.  He idly pondered which version of Heero's practically monotonous non-responses would be headed his way momentarily.

           "Hn."  Ah, so mild annoyance with a tinge of amusement that won out this time.  Comprehending Heero-speech was an art that, with time, Duo fully intended to master.  He couldn't wait until the day when full sentences, rather than mere emotions, would appear from that single syllable.  So short, and yet so intensely full of meaning when Heero said it.  Very interesting indeed.

           "So, Heero, did you get a chance to talk to Relena earlier?"  And suddenly, the gun was once more aimed directly at his face.  Angry eyes glared at him – Heero was, in point of fact, emoting almost more than Duo had believed possible.

           "What business is it of yours?"

           "It's all of our business when it affects how you perform on missions."  Duo said.  Heero's eyes frosted over a bit more, but Duo would not be silenced.  "Listen, maybe you haven't noticed, but you haven't been the same since what happened last year.  Ever since she –"

           Duo flew across the room with such alacrity that, for a moment, one would have believed he truly was Shinigami, completely with wings for flight.  Then his lack of control became apparent, and he smashed violently into the opposite wall.  Heero towered over him from several feet away, his entire body coursing with power and rage.  His Prussian gaze flared at Duo, while his face remained impassive.  Duo took a moment to right himself, then glanced up at Heero.  He immediately got to his feet and left the room as fast as his feet would carry him, saying not another word.

           Heero stared after his friend for several moments, wondering how the braided baka had managed to inspire his rage once again.  Only one person had ever had the power to inspire that depth of feeling in him since…  The unbidden thought trailed off, leaving Heero in momentary misery.  His shoulders drooped forward without his consent, and his rage dissipated.  He sat down confusedly in front of his laptop computer, and reopened the file that he had been looking at before Duo entered the room.

           "I miss you."  He said softly, unintentionally.  His hand reached up to touch the image on screen's face, and a silent pain filled his soul once more.  

           For many minutes, Heero did not move an inch.  Then, with a light reluctance, he rose to his feet and went to rejoin the others.  Before he left the room though, he made certain that her picture was once more carefully hidden among his files.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

           "What happened, Duo?"  Quatre asked immediately as Duo entered the kitchen.  The self-proclaimed God of Death rubbed the back of his head in pain and annoyance.  Then he shrugged and smiled at the cheerful blonde.

           "Made the mistake of trying to talk to Heero about you know what.  Nothing the Shinigami couldn't handle, though."  Wufei snorted in response to Duo's simple statement.  Quatre appeared more than a little shocked, but refrained from saying anything.  Trowa, on the other hand, merely arched an eyebrow at him.

           "You're still alive."  The unibanged wonder commented.  "Perhaps Heero isn't so resistant to moving on as we had suspected."

           "Baka."  Wufei declared.  "I still find it hard to believe that Yuy would act so dishonorably towards the woman whom he looked out for throughout the entire war.  She provided him with support and safety, even when Maxwell tried to kill him – "

           "Hey, Wu-man, that wasn't my fault!"  Duo interjected.  "How was I supposed to know that he wasn't actually going to kill her?"

           "She protected him even then."  Wufei continued, seemingly deaf to the words of the Duo.  "And he took care of her.  Yet he still refuses to acknowledge that there are feelings between them!  It's so..."

           "Weak?"  Trowa suggested calmly.

           "Yeah!"  Wufei responded enthusiastically, wondering why both Quatre and Duo suddenly started coughing.  Duo sobered quickly, and turned to face the others.

           "Look Wufei, maybe he has a good reason for behaving the way he does towards Relena."  Duo said.  "Maybe you don't have all the facts."

           "And you do Maxwell?"

           Surprisingly, Duo had nothing to say.  He looked uncomfortably at his feet, and shifted his weight from side to side.  The other pilots exchanged glances, curiosity sparking inside each one.

           "Duo?"  Quatre, ever the tactful one, began.  "Is there something that you haven't been telling us that may impact this conflict?"

           "Eh…"  Duo attempted to delay.  Thankfully, Heero chose just that moment to walk into the room.  The dangerous, life – threatening anger that had radiated off of him before had faded.  Heero seemed more or less like himself, for which the others were immensely grateful.  When Heero appeared anything less then stoic, things had a tendency to get blown up in huge massive explosions, like when something gets left in the microwave for too long and the whole thing just goes up with a huge BOOM!

           Heero walked calmly across the room, and retrieved a glass from a cabinet.  He went to the sink, and filled his glass halfway with water.  He pivoted slowly, seeming to consider something for a moment.

           "What?"  He finally asked, the slight undercurrent of a growl rippling through his voice.  He glared at the silent others who had neglected to say a word since he had joined them.  Unsurprisingly, none of them had a decent response for him.  Heero again looked at his glass, then downed it in a gulp and walked from the room, several sets of eyes following him.

           "Do you think he's on his way to tell her that what happened last year was all just a huge mistake and that he really does love her?"  Duo asked with a lilting voice as soon as he was certain Heero was out of hearing range.  Wufei groaned, and Trowa shook his head.

           "That might be a bit optimistic, Duo."  Quatre replied, his expression pained.  He gave the braided one a sad little smile, before shaking his head.  "I'm not sure why, but the feelings I get from him aren't anger.  It's such a sad aura… almost loneliness."

           Trowa blinked in surprise, and Quatre gave him a little nod.  "I know that it sounds weird, after all, Heero's always like companionship the least of any of us.  Still there's something there whenever he's around that feels so lost and empty that I just can't compare it to anything."

           Duo glanced guiltily about the room, and then began to head towards the door.  He slipped out unnoticed, and took off in the direction Heero had headed – towards the gardens.  Little did pilot 01 know what awaited him there – the fair Relena.  It promised to be an interesting conflict, and one that Duo had promised himself he wouldn't miss.  He picked up his pace and got to the gardens ahead of Heero, giving himself just enough time to hid away before the other pilot entered.

           Sure enough, Heero Yuy walked through the entrance way of the garden.  The first thing that he was truly aware of was the scent of flowers that attacked him from every corner of the quaint garden.  Roses bloomed in plentiful supply, and Heero willingly paused to breathe in their scent.

           The unknown emotion that flashed across his face did not escape Duo's careful attention.  It bordered on… pain, almost.  Duo grimaced slightly, wishing that he wasn't the one stuck with keeping Heero's secret a… well… secret.  He, the most gregarious one of the pilots, was ill-equipped for this task.  Duo pulled himself from his thoughts as Heero stepped deeper into the paradise-like surroundings.

           Relena sat unawares around the corner from where Heero stood.  In her lap rested a book, a collection of her own poetry.  She twirled her pen lightly with her left hand, debating where to start her next poem.  Something told her that the driving incident could make an entertaining read, and so she drew her mind to those precious moments of wild freedom, speeding down roads without a concern for what would happen next.

           Her pen had just touched the page in front of her when the man of her dreams rounded the corner and stood before her.  His hair whipped in the soft spring breeze, as did her own.  The crimson flowers behind him highlighted the light hue of his face, the blue of his eyes.  His green tank top melted into the garden wall behind him, making his entire being seem like an ethereal part of nature.  She gasped.

           Heero, for his part, was equally frozen by the appearance of Relena before him.  The wide-brimmed hat that capped her head glittered slightly in the sunlight, causing it to appear as a halo.  She was seated on a white bench, curled up so that her knees came to her chest, with a pen in her hand.  She looked so adorably child-like and innocent that before he could stop himself his eyes had widened perceptibly and his heart rate increased.

           Prussian eyes met the endless skies of blue, and for a long moment neither of them could shake off the spell created by the other's presence.

           "What are you doing here?"  Relena asked suddenly.  Her eyes tore themselves away from Heero's, instead staring at the ground.  "I thought that you were inside using your laptop."

           "What am I doing here?"  Heero repeated.  For a moment, he appeared to actually consider the question.  Duo crossed his fingers hopefully, and waited for Heero to launch into the explanation that Relena had deserved for sometime.  Instead, he could only look on in disappointment as Heero's expression swiftly snapped back into place.  His voice came out cold and harsh.  "What are you doing here?  Shouldn't your bodyguards be here?  This kind of behavior endangers your life needlessly."

           "You know what, Heero?"  Relena said, her voice shaking slightly.  "I don't really think that's any of your business.  After all, it's my life to endanger, isn't it?  I seem to remember you threatening to take it away from me on more than one occasion, but that doesn't mean that you get to control it."

           "Relena…"  Heero's voice trailed off after that single word.  The girl glanced up at him, and could read the gentle pleading in his eyes.  She sighed inwardly.  He may not love her, but he certainly cared for her.  She gave him a small smile.

           "Don't worry, Heero."  Relena said.  She read the protest in his eyes and continued.  "The guards are patrolling the perimeter so that I can get some peace and quiet, have some time to myself.  Of course, if that bothers you than you're more than welcome to stay here and keep me company."

           "Yes, yes, yes!"  Duo said under his breath.  

Heero considered for a moment, and then seated himself on the ground near her.  Relena nodded her head, and turned back to the poem she had been working on.  She stared down at the page before her, writing nothing for a couple of minutes, and then looked back up again.

"Why are you staring at me?"  She asked innocently.  Truthfully, Heero's eyes had not moved from her the entire time that he had been in the garden.

"Because I like looking at you."  Heero responded absently.  The response triggered in him by these Edenic surroundings abounded.  He looked focus on the surface, but beneath that the seas of his mind churned with a hundred thousand memories that in no way revolved the blonde haired girl sitting before him.  A second later Heero realized what he had said, and quickly looked away.

Relena closed her notebook, and studied the man before her.  She rose elegantly to her feet, clasping the book and pen to her chest with her left hand.  

"Thank you for staying with me."  She said quietly, reaching a hand forward to brush his cheek.   Heero's turbulent eyes looked up and once more met her clear ones.  She withdrew her hand.  "I'm going to go in now, you can stay here if you like."

Heero immediately stood and moved towards the house.  As he moved past Relena, he accidentally bumped against her.  She spun slightly, facing him.  The two were frozen, trapped once more in each other's eyes, there bodies almost painfully close.  The connection between them stopped time, giving them an eternity to remain the only two people in the universe.

It was then that Relena, with great daring, joined her mouth once more to Heero's in a soul-searing kiss.  Heero seemed stunned, his eyes continuing to watch hers. Then they closed softly as he passionately responded to the gift she offered him.

From several feet away, Duo looked on and cheered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Chapter 4


	5. The Shoes You Wear

**Ten Things**

**Chapter 5 – The Shoes You Wear**

**_Alternate Title – In Which Duo Gets Caught; The Incident Revealed_**

By: Eternal Rose

            It was then that Relena, with great daring, joined her mouth once more to Heero's in a soul-searing kiss. Heero seemed stunned, his eyes continuing to watch hers. Then they closed softly as he passionately responded to the gift she offered him.

            From several feet away, Duo looked on and cheered.  Silently, of course, as to not arouse any suspicion.  Ever since Heero had confessed to him, he had been hoping Relena would get the courage to try again.  Duo did a little victory dance, thankful that the two were now so fully engrossed in one another that he would likely escape detection.

            "Ahh…"  Heero said, enjoying the magnificent sensation that rolled through him, boundless and unconquerable.  He inhaled the scent of her perfume, rich and as beautiful as she.  Her lips tasted like sweet strawberries, ripe and delicious.  Her face against his, gentle and soft, fitting as though it had belonged there all their lives.

            "Heero…"  Relena replied, kissing him again.  Her heart beat madly within her chest as she finally felt him giving in to the side he tried to hide, the side of himself that she loved so dearly.  She ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the smooth caress of his hair against her hand.

            He kissed her once more, with still more passion and love.  Feelings hidden below the surface for years burst forth once more in a tidal wave of the deepest and truest emotion that one can ever feel.  The more he tried to control it, the more his precious mask slipped away.

            "No!"  Heero cried suddenly, pulling himself away as a face passed through his mind.  He took one step back, then another, his eyes snapping open to rest on the face of the girl before him.  "No."

            "Heero?"  Relena said, her voice sweet and filled with concern.  "Heero, what's wrong?"

            "This."  Heero said.  His expressionless face shifted from its former position back to its normal façade.  "This is wrong, Relena, it's a mistake."

            "Heero, love is never a mistake!"  Relena exclaimed, advancing a step towards him.  "Don't you dare try and tell me that you don't have feelings for me.  I don't believe it!  You felt that every bit as much as I did."

            "That doesn't make it right, Relena."  Heero said.  His expression flashed with anger for a moment, then shifted back to its carefully crafted disguise.  Even still, a hint of sadness could not be hidden completely – for truly, Relena had known him long enough to see it even as he felt it in himself and tried to pretend it did not exist.  "I'm sorry."

            "Heero!"  Relena cried, reaching her arm out to grab his.  He jerked it away quickly from her lithe grasp, turning away.  He walked swiftly but surely back to the doorway separating the house and the garden.  As he stood in the doorway, he paused and looked back at her for a moment, his vision burning into hers.  As she stared deep into his fathomless eyes, she could sense a nameless emotion coming from him, and saw an echo of the longing she herself felt.  Then he spun around and was gone.

            "Heero…"  She whispered the name, sinking to her knees.  A hand reached out and retrieved the book and pen that she had heedlessly dropped when he finally reacted to her.  She pulled them into her chest, hugging them to herself and whispering his name once again.  She brushed a hand against her cheek, the very place where his had rested mere moments ago, and said, "Well, at least he didn't slap me this time."

~* Flashback *~

            It was the night before the pilots were due to leave for their next mission.  Relena knew it was unlikely that she would see them again any time soon, they were always traveling and always would be.  This mission would take particularly long, as they had been ordered to infiltrate the ranks of the enemy to attempt to discern the strength of the beliefs of those there.  Anyone who could be turned against OZ would be to there advantage, anyone.

            Heero looked just as handsome to her as he always did.  Locks of his chocolate hair floated along his forehead, his green shirt and spandex shorts clinging to his well-formed body with a tension that bordered on lewd.  His muscles stuck out impressively, and she once more somewhat objectified him by carefully studying his physique.  More than that, though, his deep blue eyes held that indefinable quality that called to every fiber of her being.

            "Heero…" She said quietly, walking up to him as he stood in the hall waiting for the others.  He turned immediately to look at her, curious.

            "Relena."  He acknowledged.  She walked up to him, drawing all her courage into herself, forcing herself to be brave in case she never saw him again.

            "There's something I'd like to give you, Heero.  A present."  She stepped up to him, leaned forward, and kissed him.  His lips remained unmoving against hers.  She drew back, wondering what was wrong.

            A loud crack echoed through the room as his hand came across her face in a harsh blow.  Her head recoiled sharply at the impact.

            "Heero?" she said, her voice brimming with pain – her eyes full of tears.

            "Never do that again, Relena.  Never."

            He turned and walked outside, leaving her life for what she thought would be the final time.  Leaving her, senses still reeling, to wonder once more why the only man she loved was the only man she couldn't have as the other pilots entered the room and saw the ugly mark upon her face of a man who would not let her have his heart.

~* End Flashback *~

            Never in her wildest dreams had she dreamed that he would come when she invited the others to join her for however long they could stay.  Nor would she would have imagined that he would find her like this – that she would kiss him like that – that he would respond as he had.  She sighed.

            CRACK!

            Relena looked up sharply as a twig snapped behind her.  She spun around, fearing that Heero would once more be proved right and an attacker would find her in her private garden.

            "Duo!"  She exclaimed.   "You scared me!"

            "Sorry, hehe, didn't mean to!"  Duo said, scratching the back of his head.  Ever since the kiss had started, Duo had been trying to gracefully make his exit – or at least, after he was done dancing in delight that Heero was finally responding to Relena, that is.  It had taken a while.  He had hoped that while she was thinking he could sneak out behind her – after all, it wasn't like Heero had stayed.  Even if he had, they'd have been way too distracted to notice.

            Then came the twig.

            Duo decided then and there that he hated twigs.  They were forever giving away great hiding spots – not that it wasn't nice when OZ was spying on you or when someone who wasn't supposed to be was following you – but they just really got in the way.  But for the twig, he'd have been free and clear.  He similarly cursed his boots for being as big as they were, causing him to land on the twig, and resolved to wear smaller shoes.

            "So, what're you doing out here, Relena?"  Duo asked, hoping to cut her off from realizing that he had been listening in all along.  Relena looked up at him and shook her head.

            "You don't have to pretend with me, Duo."  She said quietly, her soft blue eyes glittering with unshed tears.  "I know you heard the whole thing, just like I know that you, Quatre, Trowa, or Wufei has always been somewhere nearby whenever the two of us were near to one another.  In case he hit me again, I guess."

            "Well…"  Duo said, rubbing the back of his head.  "I guess there was really no point trying to hide with a Perfect Soldier and a Paranoid Princess, but you're wrong about the reason."

            "What do you mean?"

            "It's just…  aww hell… Relena…"  Duo paused, trying to determine precisely how much he could say without giving away Heero's secret.  Wondering how much he could say without having to lie to her.

            "Duo, could you just tell me one thing?"  Relena asked, her voice quiet.  Her hands clutched her precious notebook still tighter to her chest.  The white hat that earlier had entrapped Heero now captured Duo in its snare.  He nodded slowly.  She raised her eyes and looked at him for one more moment before quickly glancing away, saying, "Does Heero care for me at all?"

            "More than you'll ever know, lady.  More than he'll admit even to himself, sometimes I think."  Duo turned to go as she nodded her head.

            "Then why can't we be together?"  Relena wondered aloud.  Duo found himself torn between the equally awful choices of breaking a promise to Heero and leaving Relena to drown in all the pain his friend had caused her.  He hesitated just a moment.

            "Duo?"  Relena said, reaching out a hand to grab his as he made to leave.  "Duo, do you know why Heero acts the way he does around me?"

            Duo suddenly became fascinated with his watch, then pulled smoothly and gently out of her grasp.  He walked briskly towards the door, tossing over his shoulder, "Hey, it's almost time to eat.  I can't wait to finally get another one of those meals Pagan makes.  Man, he's a good chef.  Do you think we'll have – "

            "Duo."  He froze, turning once more to face her.  "Why won't Heero let me love him?  Is it something I've done, something I can fix at all?"

            "Trust me, it's not you at all.  Stupid jerk, acting like he doesn't know what he feels every time he sees you.  Just because –"  Duo cut himself off abruptly, realizing with a start what he'd almost let slip.  She could never know, Heero had been quite clear about that.  It just wasn't right.

            "Just because what, Duo?"  Duo turned to look at her for a moment.  "I would very much like to know why Heero avoids me, Duo.  Have I not the right to know?  Please, tell me what's wrong so that I can try to do something about it."  He looked away.  "Why won't you tell me?"

            "Hey, ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."  Duo said, starting once more for the door inside.  He glanced at the sky, then looked down and quickened his pace as her voice rang out behind him once more.

            "I know you know something, Duo!"  Relena yelled after him.  "What secret are you hiding for him?"

            "Heero's secrets are his own, lady.  What makes you think he'd tell me anything?"

            "You're his best friend, Duo.  If anyone knows, you do."  Relena paused, then spoke again.  "Why does Heero hide his heart so no one can touch it, Duo?"

            He shook his head, braid trailing along with it in a wave, and walked silently inside.  Relena sat upon the ground and allowed a few tears to fall.

            "I'll find out someday, Heero."  She vowed.  "Someday you will allow me inside your heart."

~* End Chapter 5 *~

            Well that was really depressing.  Guess that's what happens when my beta reader lives in NY and I go to NC for college.  ^^;;;  Oi, Cheryl – IM me when you read this so it can get officially beta'd, ne?

            Anyways, this story officially has a real plot curve now, so it WILL be finished, if not by me than be someone else.  Guess that's about all I have to say.

Hugs and Chocolate, 

~ Rose


	6. The Way You Read My Mind

**Ten Things**

**_Chapter 6 – The Way You Read My Mind_**

_Alternate Title – Heero's Secrets_

By: Eternal Rose

            Heero sat silently in his darkened room.  His infamous laptop was once again open before, but his fingers no longer flickered swiftly across its keys.  Instead, he stared motionlessly at a single image on the screen.  A lost expression clouded his generally calm façade, and his eyes closed.  It was only here, in the echoing silence of an empty room, that Heero could allow his inner self to open – only far away from the prying eyes of others, even those of his friends.  

            The other pilots were friends, for truly, in his heart, that was how he thought of them.  Relena… she may have been even more.  Still, how could he tell any of them that?  After what had happened, Heero doubted he would ever be willing to share a strong degree of closeness again.

            Creak!

            Heero looked up as the door opened, one hand springing to the top of the screen and pulling it down.  The carefully constructed expression of emptiness filled his face once more, his hand reaching back to grasp his gun and point it at the intruder.  His index finger wrapped around the trigger and pulled back so the hammer was cocked just enough that at the slightest movement it would go off.

            Duo walked through the door.

            Heero glared fiercely at the braided moron who had come up short upon seeing Heero with the gun.  Was the man incompetent?  He knew all too well that Duo had followed him out into the garden, had realized it as soon as he saw… her.  Duo rolled his eyes and leaned against the door frame, watching Heero carefully until he slowly lowered the gun and glanced away.  Heero turned back to his laptop and opened it, looking at the default image that appeared whenever he shut it rapidly.  He quickly opened a file and began typing, ignoring his fellow pilot as best as possible.

            "You can't hide it from her forever, you know."  Duo said suddenly.  Heero sat up ramrod straight, then shook his head and resumed typing without sparing Duo so much as a glance.

            "Relena's not stupid, Heero."  The voice continued.  "She's bound to find out eventually, and you know it.  She's already realized something's up, and you can be damn sure that she won't give up on you.  I don't really know what she sees in you, man, but whatever it is has got her hooked on you.  And you, buddy – you're hooked on her."

            Heero grunted and glared at the screen, still refusing to look at the source of the annoying sound filling his ears.  His head shook in unequivocal denial of the words.

            "Maybe you don't show it so much, but it's still true."  Duo continued.  "Like it or not, you feel for her.  That's not such a bad thing, either.  What's bad here is that you keep trying to deny it.  But we both know better.  We both know the real reason you think you shouldn't be with her is because – "

            The gun was back again.  Pointing it threateningly at Duo, Heero rose to his feet with an expression of such extreme emotion as had never been seen there before by his fellow pilot.  Duo unconsciously drew himself up straight.

            "Listen, Heero,"  Duo said, moving his arms defensively in front of himself.  "Don't take this the wrong way.  I'm just – "

            "Just what?  There is no wrong way to take this, 02."  Heero said.  The fierceness in his eyes had not abated, and they seemed to glow with the internal fire of his anger.  "This conversation is meaningless.  Leave now."

            "Meaningless, huh, Heero?"  Duo shook his head in disbelief.  "I'm just trying to help.  All I want is to see the two of you happy together."

            "I don't know what happiness is.  I can't feel it.  All I can do is fight."  Heero said.  "I'm warning you, 02.  Leave."

            "No, Heero."  Duo said.  His eyes narrowed at Wing's pilot, the guise of the joker falling from his face.  "I'm not going to let you ruin both of your lives.  If not for youself, then admit your feelings for her.  Things can't go on this way.  Samantha wouldn't have wanted –"

            BANG!

            Duo dodged to his right, deeper into the room, as a bullet drove itself straight into the wall directly behind the place where his head had been moments before.  Heero's body trembled, his face contorted into a horrible expression.  It had been a warning shot, that was clear enough by the fact that Duo wasn't bleeding yet, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he'd start soon.

            "Heero –"

            "No, Duo."  Heero said, taking aim once more.  "Never again."

            "But Heero – " The hammer on the gun started to pull back again, and Duo shook his head in silent acquiescence.  "Whatever, man."

            "Is everything all right, Duo?  Heero?"  Quatre said, coming into the doorway.  Trowa flipped in through the window, and Wufei came up beside Quatre.  We thought we heard gunfire."

            Heero said nothing, but slowly lowered his gun so that it rested by his side momentarily before disappearing into spandex space.  His face hidden once more behind its carefully constructed mask, he returned to sitting carefully in front of his laptop.  It opened once more, and he immediately began typing furiously.

            Duo, in the meantime, had haphazardly picked himself up from the floor, and gone to stand between Wufei and Quatre.  Trowa, recognizing that there was no imminent danger, went to join them.  Duo cast one last look at Heero, tossing his long, floating braid over his shoulder.  The other three pilots focused on him.

            "Heero."  Duo said.  When no response came, he shook his head.  "Whatever man, just remember this.  If you don't tell her soon, and she asks me, I'm not gonna lie to her.  I may run or hide for a while, but we both know I don't lie.  Not for anyone.  Not even you."

            "Get out."  Heero said, his hands frozen on the keyboard.  He raised his head and glared fiercely at them all.  "Get.  Out."

            "Ne, catch you later, man!"  Duo said as he turned and walked out of the room, throwing an arm around Quatre to guide him along.  Wufei and Trowa both cast odd glances at Heero, then followed their fellow pilots.  Duo immediately started a vibrant, lively dialogue that Heero could here even from behind the door Trowa had closed once more.  At long last, silence reigned throughout the room.

            "Damn him!"  Heero growled, striking his fist against the desk in front of him.  His fingers flew across the keyboard, entering password after password.  Clearing screens quickly, checking once more to make sure that there were no back routes, no way for anyone to hack into his system.  Heero was one of the best hackers in the world, and there was no way in hell he'd let someone out do him and get into this part of the system.  No one could ever know what existed here.  It was bad enough that Duo had already discovered his secret, and that had, admittedly, been more by accident than by design.  Relena unsettled him, and Duo had been amazingly lucky and managed to catch him in a moment of weakness after an encounter with her.  He would never let it happen again.  Never.

            Finally, at long last, he reached the hidden part of his mainframe, a sub-system buried as deep as he could force it down… and her image appeared once more on his screen.  Samantha.  It was a name he heard in his most pleasant dreams, a face he saw in his worst nightmares.  Her resplendent blond hair brushed her waist, the simple brown skirt and graceful emerald shirt flattering her figure.  Her beautiful crystallic blue eyes glowed at him from the monitor, her entire face lit with the laughter that was hinted at by her gorgeous smile.  A hand came up to brush the screen as Heero allowed his thoughts to trail backward in time.

~* Flashback *~

            "Heero!"  Her musical voice filled his ears as he finally found her in the massive crowd at the airport.  She ran and hugged him, and he spun her around in a circle before landing her on her delicate little feet.

            "Samantha."  A twelve year old Heero breathed her name, brushing her cheeks with a light kiss.  "How was the trip to Spain?"

            "It was amazing Heero!  I had so much fun, I can't even tell you.  I saw all sorts of things, like the Prada, and the statues based on La Mancha, and the food was unbelievable and just… oh!"  She paused to take a deep breath, her face lit with the delight of remembered pleasures.  "It was so wonderful.  Thank you for convincing Papa to let me go!"

            "Of course, Samantha."  Heero said, smilingly in a joy that came as a natural response to the expression on her face.  Dr. J's daughter had always been one of his favorite people, the only person even close to his age at the complex.  When his harder earlier years had beaten him down and forced him into a nearly emotionless state, she had brought him the joy and simple, child-like happiness that he had needed.  He pulled a camera out of his pocket.  "Smile!"

            "Cheeeeese!"  She said, flashing him a cheerful grin.  Heero snapped the picture, and then quickly hid the camera.  J had never been happy about their friendship, but he seemed to accept it well enough.  Heero just had to be careful about showing too much attachment whenever J was around.  Taking pictures of her would definitely be considered too much attachment.

            Samantha giggled, smiling at Heero.  Her eyes then lit even brighter as she recognized another man coming up behind him.  He nodded to her, and she gave him a conspiratorial wink, grabbing Heero's arm.  He immediately began dragging her towards the exit, the man lingering nearby the two until they were outside.  He got into the front seat of the car, and the two took the rear.

~* Outside Flashback *~

            Heero closed his eyes.  The day had been wonderful.  It had been a hard two weeks without her constant cheer to buoy his spirits after a day at lessons with her father.  He could still remember the scent of the slightly older girl's perfume, a sweet smelling violet that clung to her hair and filled his nose when he had hugged her.

            He almost couldn't stand to think of what came next.  Almost.  But not remembering would not make it any less the truth of that day.  Forgetting would only allow it to happen again, and he would never let that happen.  Never again.

~* Flashback *~

            "Hi, daddy!"  Samantha said as soon as the doors were closed.  J nodded at her enigmatically, and pulled away from the curb.  "The trip was wonderful!  I really think it's the best time I've ever had away from home.  Maybe next time you and Heero should come with me!"

            "Maybe."  Dr. J said.  Heero's eyes brightened before he could stop them, and he knew in a flash of clarity that J had seen his expression.  Still, no real harm would come of it.  He'd just have to work extra hard at lessons.  Nothing awful.

            For most of the rest of the car ride, Samantha had kept up her cheerful, if one-sided, conversation.  Heero basked in her glow, delighting in having his best friend and almost sister beside him once more.  Then, in a single instant, the entire world changed.

            They had pulled up to a stop light.  Heero's attention had been on Samantha, his seat belt on as per J's instructions.  He didn't see it until too late.  Missed the flash of silver that would have warned him of J's intentions, hadn't been fast enough.

            A small spurt of fire showed itself briefly in the car before Samantha's head erupted in blood.  Her speech cut off abruptly, and silence filled the car.  Heero watched in slow motion as her head pitched backwards before her whole body fell forwards, sagging against the seatbelt.  She was dead in an instant that seemed a millennia long.  Horrified, Heero turned to look at Dr. J.

            "Don't get attached."  Was all the man said before putting the gun down and stepping on the accelerator as the light turned green.

~* End Flashback *~

            "Damn him!"  Heero repeated, and as he said it, he realized he no longer knew whether he meant Duo or J.  "Damn him, damn him, damn him!"

            The words became a chant, increasing in volume as Heero allowed the pain of her death to fully fill him for the first time in many years.  He had hidden it well until she came into his life.  Relena, whose blonde hair fell to her waist, with eyes of crystal blue and a smile that had enough warmth for the world.  How dare she…

            Heero's arm suddenly lashed out and shoved the computer from the desk, ignoring the loud sound it made as it crashed down.  He overturned the table and stood there, shaking in rage, repeating softly once more the words that filled his being.

            "Damn him."

~*End Chapter 6 *~

Heehee, I told you it would be interesting!  Do I deliver, or what?  ^-^

Reviews always appreciated, but none required.  It is nice to know what ya'll are thinking, though.  ^^;;;;

Anyways, next chapter'll be up whenever I get around to it, so probably soon.  Sooner if the muses strike me and force me to do their bidding, but we'll see.  (*Mini Heero comes along and whacks Rose*)  Ow!  See what I mean?  It's all their fault!

Hugs and Chocolate,

~Rose


End file.
